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Last Updated: February 2025
1. Who We Are
iKhono ("the Game") is a free-to-play browser-based word game created by 80s4life. For questions or data requests, contact: 80s4lifegames@gmail.com
2. Data We Collect
a) Data stored on your device (localStorage):
Game preferences (theme, controls), high scores, career statistics, auto-generated player username, and mobile button positions. This data stays on your device.
b) Account data:
There is no account sign-up in this local-only build.
c) Analytics (with your consent):
We use Google Analytics to collect anonymous usage data such as page visits, device type, and general location. This data helps us understand how people use the Game. Google Analytics is only activated if you click "Accept All" on the cookie banner. If you choose "Essential Only," no analytics data is collected.
3. How We Use Your Data
Your data is used solely to: save and restore your game progress and settings, display local leaderboard rankings, and (with consent) understand general usage patterns via analytics.
4. Data Sharing
We do not sell your personal data. We share data only with Google Analytics for anonymous usage data, and only with your consent. Google has its own privacy policy.
5. Your Rights (GDPR / UK DPA / CCPA)
Depending on your location, you have the right to: access, correct, or delete your personal data, withdraw consent for analytics at any time, request a copy of your data, and object to data processing. To exercise any of these rights, email us at 80s4lifegames@gmail.com. You can clear local game data from the Player screen or your browser settings.
6. Cookies & Local Storage
Essential cookies/storage: Required for the Game to function (saving preferences, scores). These do not require consent. Analytics cookies: Google Analytics cookies are set only after you give explicit consent via the cookie banner. You can change your preference at any time via Settings.
7. Data Retention
Local data: Stored on your device until you clear your browser data. Analytics data: Retained per Google Analytics' standard retention policy (14 months).
8. Children's Privacy
The Game does not knowingly collect personal data from children under 13. If we discover analytics data has been collected from a child under 13 without consent, we will delete it promptly where possible.
9. Data Security
Game progress is stored in your browser's local storage. You can clear it at any time from the Player screen or browser settings.
10. Changes
We may update this policy from time to time. Significant changes will be communicated via the Game.
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PILOT RANK: ROOKIE
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Initializing...
Select your dictionary language
Current Mode Info
I'm not a coder, but have been an avid game player since the late 1970s, since the days of Space Invaders, Galaxian and Pac-Man.
The basic idea of iKhono is to combine letters falling, but then have the added challenge of making three letters and higher words. iKhono has taken about a month now to produce.
I've added various game modes based on the game mechanics.
The game was initially vibe coded using Google's AI Studio Gemini 3 Pro Preview Free model. Due to the increased scope and complexity of the game, I decided to sign up to Anthropic's Claude using Opus 4.6 to fine tune the gameplay, performance, security, and overall polish.
Please try out the game and enjoy. It is free to play, but you have the option to send me a tip if you are so inclined.
For Game Support and Suggestions send an email to: 80s4lifegames@gmail.com
Thank you kindly, 80s4life
THE GOAL
Form words by connecting adjacent letter tiles on the board. Words must be 3 or more letters long and appear in the active dictionary.
FORMING WORDS
Drag across tiles to chain letters into a word. Tiles must be adjacent (horizontally, vertically, or diagonally). A green preview appears above your chain when the word is valid. Release to submit.
SWAPPING TILES
Tap a tile to select it (highlighted in purple), then tap an adjacent tile to swap them. You can also tap a selected tile into an empty space to move it there.
DROPPING LETTERS
In most modes, a letter falls from the top of the board. Press the Drop button (or Space bar) to instantly drop it into place. Move your cursor or finger left and right to steer where it lands.
SPECIAL TILES
Bombs - Appear in Standard and Overdrive modes. They have a countdown timer. Use them in a word to defuse them before they explode! Bombs are immune to row/column clears.
Shields - Shielded tiles need to be hit twice: the first word breaks the shield, the second clears the tile.
Unstable - In Chain mode, unstable tiles have a burning fuse. Include them in words to trigger explosive chain reactions!
Locked - In Shuffle mode, locked tiles survive the board shuffle between waves.
Gold - Re-locking an already locked tile in Shuffle upgrades it to Gold, giving 2x score value.
? Wildcard - Matches any letter. Appears in later Shuffle waves.
MOUSE (Desktop)
Click & Drag across adjacent tiles to form a word chain, then release to submit.
Click a tile to select it for swapping (turns purple). Click an adjacent tile to swap them, or click an empty space to move the tile there.
Right-Click anywhere to hard-drop the active falling letter.
Move mouse left/right to steer the falling letter into a column.
KEYBOARD (Desktop)
Arrow Keys - Move the cursor highlight across the grid.
Ctrl (double-tap) - Start a word chain from the highlighted tile. While holding Ctrl, use Arrow Keys to extend the chain. Release Ctrl to submit.
Ctrl (single tap) - Select a tile for swapping. Then press an Arrow Key to swap with the adjacent tile.
Space - Hard-drop the active falling letter.
P - Pause / Resume the game.
M - Mute / Unmute sound (works from any screen).
All keyboard bindings can be remapped in Settings Controls. Click any binding to reassign it.
TOUCH (Mobile)
Drag your finger across adjacent tiles to form a word chain. Lift to submit.
Tap a tile to select it for swapping (turns purple). Tap an adjacent tile to swap, or tap an empty cell to move it there.
DROP Drop Button - Tap to hard-drop the falling letter. The falling letter follows your finger position to choose the column.
|| Pause Button - Tap to pause the game.
Tip: The Drop (DROP) and Pause (||) buttons can be repositioned - press and hold either icon, then drag it anywhere on the screen. Your layout is saved automatically.
GAMEPAD (Controller)
D-Pad / Left Stick - Move the cursor across the grid (in-game) or navigate menus.
A Button - Tap to select/swap a tile. Hold + move stick to drag a word chain. Release to submit.
RB / RT - Hard-drop the falling letter.
Start - Pause / Resume.
DAILY PUZZLE
A unique puzzle generated fresh every day - the same board for all players worldwide. You get 80 letters and 20 moves with no drops. Clear the entire board for a Perfect Clear bonus! Compete on today's leaderboard. One attempt per day.
STANDARD *
The core mode. Letters fall progressively faster as you level up. Every few levels, restrictions activate - blocking certain word lengths for a limited time. Bombs appear from level 2 onward. A great starting point to learn the game.
OVERDRIVE **
High-speed action. Fill the Overdrive meter by matching words. When the meter is full, you enter Overdrive - a 2x score multiplier! Bombs and shielded tiles appear frequently. The pace increases in phases.
TIME ATTACK *
Score as many points as possible in 3 minutes. No restrictions, no gimmicks - pure speed and vocabulary skill.
BLITZ **
A frantic 60-second race. The board starts full - no falling letters. Look for Clock Tiles (+) to add bonus seconds, and defuse Minus Tiles () before they drain your time!
SURGE ***
Survival mode. New rows of letters rise from the bottom periodically. If tiles reach the top, it's game over. Score 6+ letter words or Mirror words (palindromes) to push the rows back down! Press Drop to manually trigger a surge.
CHAIN ***
Explosive chain reactions! Unstable tiles appear with burning fuses. Include them in words to detonate them - clearing nearby tiles and triggering chain reactions. Multipliers stack: x2, x4, x8 and beyond!
BLACKOUT **
A spatial puzzle. Some tiles are lit up. Form words that pass over lit tiles to turn them off. Turn off all lights to complete the blackout and earn a big bonus. Faster clears earn more points.
SHUFFLE ***
Strategic wave-based gameplay. Match words to fill the wave requirement, then lock 3 tiles to protect them before the board shuffles. Survive 10 waves to win. Re-locking tiles upgrades them to Gold (2x value). Wildcards appear in later waves. Each wave adds +5s to your timer.
WORD SCORING
Each letter has a point value based on rarity. Your word score = sum of letter values 10 multiplier.
LENGTH BONUSES
5 - 6 letters - 1.5x multiplier
7+ letters - 2.0x multiplier
COMBO CHAIN
Match words in quick succession (within ~6 seconds) to build a combo multiplier. Each consecutive match increases the combo: x2, x3, x4, and so on. The combo resets if you wait too long.
STYLE BONUSES
Mirror - Palindrome words (e.g., KAYAK, LEVEL) earn +500 bonus points.
All Vowels - Words containing all 5 vowels (A, E, I, O, U) earn a bonus.
No Vowels - Consonant-only words (e.g., GYM, FLY) earn a bonus.
BOARD CLEAR
Clearing every tile from the board earns a +1,000 point bonus. In Daily Puzzle, clearing all tiles before using your 20 moves triggers a Perfect Clear with +500 per move remaining!
LEVEL UPS
In Standard and other progressive modes, scoring enough points advances you to the next level. The background theme shifts, drop speed increases, and new challenges appear.
DICTIONARY / LANGUAGE
iKhono supports multiple dictionaries. Open Settings Language to switch between them. The active dictionary determines which words are valid. Your chosen language is shown by the flag icon on the side panel during gameplay. You can switch dictionaries at any time - even mid-game from the pause menu.
THEMES
Choose between three visual themes in Settings Theme:
Light - Clean, bright backgrounds with pastel tones.
Dark - Deep, moody backgrounds for low-light play.
Retro - A vector-art arcade aesthetic inspired by classic 80s games like Tempest and Battlezone.
Each theme has 18 unique colour palettes that cycle automatically during gameplay (every ~45 seconds) and on level-ups.
SOUND & VOLUME
Volume slider - Adjust the master volume in Settings.
Mute - Toggle sound on/off from the Pause menu or press M on keyboard at any time.
KEY BINDINGS
All keyboard controls (Drop, Select, Move, Pause) can be remapped. In Settings, click any key binding to reassign it, then press the new key. Press Escape to cancel.
PAUSE
Press P (keyboard), Start (gamepad), or the || button (mobile) to pause. From the pause menu you can resume, retry, mute sound, access settings, read the about page, or quit to the main menu.
PLAYER DATA
Your scores, settings, career stats, and player name are saved locally in your browser.
Tap PLAYER from the main menu or pause menu to view your local player profile or clear local data.
LEADERBOARDS
Tap Leaderboard from the main menu to view local rankings. Use the mode selector tabs at the top to switch between modes. Your position is highlighted if you're on the board. Daily Puzzle shows only today's scores.
CAREER STATS
View your lifetime stats from the Leaderboard screen View Career. Track your total games played, words found, longest word, total play time, and favourite mode.
CLEARING LOCAL DATA
If you wish to clear scores, career stats, controls, theme, and player name, open the Player screen and tap Clear Local Data. This action is permanent and cannot be undone.
Mode: Standard